Red, White & Blueberry Pie Bars (Kuchen)

These Red, White & Blueberry Pie Bars are so festive and fun any time of year, but especially for Memorial Day and Fourth of July! Similar to kuchen with swirls of cherries and blueberries!

I cannot believe it, but I went swimming for the first time in 10 years yesterday.

What brought on this monumental occasion? The fact that Sacramento hit 100 degrees already.

Meanwhile, I have friends in Minnesota who said it’s 46 and freezing there. So. Wanna trade me, Minneapolites?

A little back story real quick…

In junior high and high school, I used to dye my hair crazy rainbow colors. I had a new color about every month or two and it required severe bleaching of my entire head of hair every single time. Miraculously, my hair never felt damaged or fell out, even though my mom threatened that’d happen. (Still wasn’t worried; I was actually kinda excited for the possibility of wigs).

And because some of these dye jobs cost me (and my mom) quite a pretty penny, I never wanted to ruin my beautiful kaleidoscopic hair by dunking it in chlorine. So I spent summers avoiding the pool completely, because I found that once I waded in the pool without going under, I was more tempted to get my whole head wet, too. And dingy chlorine hair on pretty pastel pinks or vibrant purples was no bueno.

So even though my Grammie lived two doors down from us and had her very own (gorgeous) pool, I stayed away as if it were contaminated and preferred to cool down in an air-conditioned house.

But now that I live in an apartment complex and I have to pay for my own A/C *cries*, I wanted another way to cool down… so I took to the complex pool when no one was in it. It was nothing short of amazing, and I didn’t even go underwater (I’m platinum blonde now and not about to look like I dipped my hair in sewer water, thanks).

And now, if you need me, I’ll be lounging in the shade by the pool (if I’m not physically in the pool) for the rest of summertime. You know, with this attitude, I may actually enjoy the summer now… but don’t quote me yet 🙂

Since summer’s approaching, we’ve gotta start thinking backyard BBQs, pool parties, and the like. And with that (and Memorial Day/Fourth of July coming up), I figured these Red, White, and Blueberry Pie Bars were PERFECT to kick off the unofficial start of summah!

These bars are similar to cherry kuchen, which has a cakier texture than a pie-texture. These bars are a little more on the cakey side, but they’re still moist and chewy and delicious. They’re swirled with cherry and blueberry pie fillings and topped with a sweet lemony glaze.

Oh, and they’re delicious and feed a crowd. WIN.

(Psst: they also taste great by the pool)

*adapted from Taste of Home

Red, White & Blueberry Pie Bars (Kuchen)

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Bars

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 37 mins

Total time: 52 mins

Serves: 20-25

These Red, White and Blueberry Pie Bars combine the flavors of cherry and blueberry pie in one unique, hand-held bar! Great for feeding a crowd!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

One (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

½ of a 21 oz can blueberry pie filling (see Note below for what to do with the rest!)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until creamy & fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the extracts. Lastly, beat in the flour. The dough will be VERY sticky.

Spread 3 cups of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the cherry pie filling evenly. Dot the cherry pie surface with the blueberry pie filling and gently swirl together with the back of a spoon. Drop the remaining dough by the teaspoonfuls over the top of the fillings.

Bake for approx. 30-37 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Cool completely in the pan.

For the glaze, mix the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice together until pourable. Pour over the tops of the bars before cutting into squares.

3.5.3226

Festive, perfect for picnics or BBQs and delicious, these pie bars are sure to win everyone over!